Transforming Treorchy Boys & Girls Club: £25,700 Awarded to Volunteer It Yourself
Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund is delighted to award £25,700 to Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) to support a vital refurbishment and transformation project at Treorchy Boys & Girls Club. This funding will help improve the facilities and provide life-changing opportunities for local young people.
Treorchy Boys & Girls Club is a much-loved hub for the community, with around 400 regular users taking part in sports, arts, gaming, and social activities. The project will upgrade essential spaces, including male, female, and disabled toilets, as well as redecorating key areas to make the club more welcoming, inclusive, and sustainable. These improvements will allow the club to host more activities, attract new members, and generate additional income to secure its long-term future.
At the heart of the project is the opportunity for at least 20 local young people, aged 14+ and currently unemployed or disengaged from education, to gain hands-on vocational construction experience, including City & Guilds qualifications. Mentored by professional tradespeople, these young volunteers will develop practical skills, employability, and confidence while contributing to a project that benefits the whole community. At least 20% of participants are expected to progress into education, employment, or training following the project.
This initiative also strengthens community cohesion, encouraging inter-generational collaboration and fostering pride and ownership of local spaces. By combining facility improvements with accredited skills training, VIY ensures that both the young people and the wider community gain lasting benefits.
“At VIY we are delighted to be working with Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund to renovate Treorchy Boys and Girls Club whilst giving local young people the opportunity to learn construction skills. We have worked with several Boys and Girls Clubs in South Wales over the years and know the brilliant role they play in their communities. We know that supporting the Club to upgrade their facilities, including toilets and common areas, will make a big difference to them and the young people they serve. We are also excited to give 20 local young people hands-on experience in construction through mentoring by professional tradespeople, as well as the opportunity to work towards City & Guilds qualifications. Through Pen y Cymoedd’s funding and our unique model, we are looking forward to creating a ‘win-win’ project benefitting the Club, young people and the local community’. – Tom Vaughan – Volunteer It Yourself, Retrofit and Green Skills Director / Regional Lead for South Wales & South West
“We would like to say a massive thank you to Tom and the VIY team for taking on this project and particularly to Pen y Cymoedd for funding it and therefore making it happen! This project – renovating our bathrooms and social space – will greatly benefit everyone that uses the Treorchy Boys and Girls club. We are looking forward to getting this work started and can’t wait to see the final finish! Thank you so much to everyone involved.” – Mel, Treorchy Boys and Girls Club
“This project is a brilliant way to combine vital facility improvements with skills and opportunities for young people. We are proud to support a project that helps young people gain real experience and qualifications while ensuring that this important community space remains welcoming, inclusive, and sustainable for everyone.”- Shayla Walsh, Fund Support Officer – Community.
This funding represents a real investment in the local community — improving a valued facility while giving young people the chance to learn, grow, and take meaningful steps towards their future.
The Fund was established by energy company Vattenfall to benefit the communities hosting the Pen y Cymoedd wind farm across the upper Neath, Afan, Rhondda and Cynon Valleys. It exists to support local people, groups and organisations to invest in themselves, their ideas and their communities.
The Community Fund has a substantial annual budget that is index-linked, meaning it increases in line with inflation. As an example, this equated to around £2.5 million in 2025. The Fund will continue to support communities until 2043, creating long-term opportunities for growth, resilience and positive change.
The Fund is managed by an independent, locally based not-for-profit Community Interest Company. It is overseen by a Board of Directors with strong local connections and delivered by a small but dedicated staff team with extensive community engagement experience. We are here to help ensure the Fund delivers on the vision and priorities of local communities.
Over the next 10 years, the Fund is focusing on investment in people, places and businesses — helping the Valleys to thrive, driving bold ideas, supporting transformation and creating lasting impact for current and future generations.